Zagora
is a town in the Draa valley in
southeastern Morocco, situated south of the
Anti Atlas Mountains.
It is flanked by the mountain (Jebel) Zagora from which the town
got its name. Originally it was called 'Tazagourt' the singular
of plural 'Tizigirt', Berber for 'twinpeaks', referring to the
form of the mountain. In old European maps the mountain Zagora
is already indicated but the town itself was only built in the
20th century. On the top of the Zagora mountain the remains of
an Almoravid
fortress can still be seen, but the
exact location of the former Almoravid mosque is still a matter
of dispute.

Today Zagora is
mainly a market town of a region of small-scale farming and lifestock
raising. Tourism is of some importance, the town housing around 10
hotels and 4 camping grounds. It has in recent years been promoted to a
regional administrative centre, resulting in a fast growth in population
(37,000 - 2005 estimate). This may lead to twice the number of
inhabitants in few years.

Zagora is another of the cities in South
Morocco that claims to be "the hottest place in Morocco". Zagora is
not terribly different from any other place out here, despite being the
largest city inside a radius of 150 km. Zagora is connected to other towns
mainly by one northern-bound road only, which is in good condition, but
has mountain passes of up 1,660m in height.
Ouarzazate, the first real town, is 165km northwest,
Marrakech 365km northwest and
Agadir 550km west.

Things to See & Do

At
first sight, Zagora is a dusty, single street town. However, its
location and
festivals save it from being just another dust-filled desert
town. In many ways Zagora is the end of the line. If you follow
the road from Ouarzazate through
the gorgeous Draa Valley until the road ends, this is where you
wind up. Zagora also used to be the beginning of another line.
It is not far from this town that the famous sign " Timbouctou:
52 days" can be found. If the border were open, and you
travelled by camel, this may be true as it was a caravan route
in the past. In and around Zagora you will be able to experience
a few genuine kasbahs - small fortresses for large families or
small villages.

Surrounding
the town are the endless palm groves of the Draa Valley, framed
by the Jebel Rhart and the peaks of the Jebel Sarhro to the
North and the Jebel Bani to the south. In between the greenery
of the palm groves lay the Ksour, or fortified villages, whose
pink colour and texture reflect the colour of the stone from
which they built. The age of this type of settlement is
reflected in the name, which is an Arabic version of the word
'Caesar'. The palm groves of the Draa valley form an abundant
canopy of green waving palm leaves that shelters the valley
floor from the scorching sun, making this one of the most
important date-producing regions in the world. Under this
canopy, other produce, such as barley and vegetables, is grown.

Zagora has some excellent
places for trekking
and camels
can be hired on almost every corner. The people
of Zagora are very helpful and welcoming, and
will often invite you for mint tea while
shopping at their
craft markets. There is a
Wednesday souk; make sure to try the different
types of dates - this place is known for their
delicious and diverse dates.
This Bazaar in Zagora has a good collection of
meteorites which have been found in the Sahara.
This
is a place where you might even see real
Tuaregs, and not just
normal Moroccan posing as "blue
men".

Not to be
Missed

During
the Mouloud in April, Zagora hosts the annual religious
festival
(moussem) of the Sufi Saint Moulay Abdelkader Jilali, which is
of great importance to the entire Draa Valley.

About 20 km
south of Zagora you will come across Tamegroute, a
settlement that originally developed as a Koranic centre of
learning. Here, among the ancient theological colleges, where
followers of the strict Naciri brotherhood read from
centuries-old original copies, there are also villagers, potters
and market traders at work. The potters cook plates, jugs and
jars in outdoor archaic kilns and curiously they are all green
and brown. Green is obtained with magnesium and copper, and
brown with antimony and copper.

Just south of
Tamegroute are the beautiful golden sand dunes of Tinfou,
whose colour changes along with the light. Sunrise and sunset
are favoured times to climb the dunes and contemplate the
surroundings.

Enquiries & Booking

To enquire about or to book a personalised private
tour to include Zagora and the Sahara Desert, please call us on +44(0)7713 615829 or send an email to
enquiries@erlebnis-tours-maroc.com
to discuss your itinerary and prices.